Requirement

System

Background

Maak had been running specialist online auctions of contemporary ceramics since 2009 via an online auction house. However by the end of 2010 Maak was looking to expand the business and bring their contemporary ceramics auctions fully under their own branding. In order to achieve this they were looking for an online auction system that would be exclusively theirs - they were adamant about not wanting to host their auctions within a general online auction market. As well as a personally branded online auction platform they were looking for an administration system that would provide them with comprehensive tools for running their auction business, from client and consignment management to cataloguing and post sale administration.

Special Requirements

It was important that any system adopted by Maak could handle the specialist requirements of the fine art industry with particular emphasis on the correct implementation of ARR and the different VAT schemes used including the Margin Scheme and different import rates.

The Solution

iRostrum+ provided Maak with a unique online auction platform that incorporated its brand and styling. The advanced administration system also met with all Maak's business requirements whilst our bespoke development team are able to continually work with Maak to develop new features to the system from which all clients within the iRostrum community can benefit.

The Result

“The fundamental advantage to Maak of having our own online auction platform is that we are able to protect our precious client relationships that we have worked so hard as a business to develop. With a well established client base I could see no advantage to sending my clients off to a general online market place where hundreds of other auctioneers are promoting thousands of other lots to my clients. We still use other platforms but purely as a marketing tool which means that client traffic is pointed in one direction only - to our company and our brand."